Fluttershy was awoken by a roster that morning. It was the only way she could tell time anymore. She didn't bother trying to brush her hair or anything like that, since she knew it would only make a big mess. As she made her way to the living room to wait for Rarity to pick her up she remembered that her bedroom was upstairs. She was terrified of missing a step and falling down to another hospital visit.
She tried thinking about how she'd get downstairs. "Maybe if I take slow steps?"
As she tried feeling the first step she found that her stairs were at a steep angle and we're very slippery. As she tried to figure out what happened she was pushed down her stairs which were now a slide. She screamed as she slid uncontrollably. Right before she reached the floor she was caught by a pair of arms. One of them was fuzzy while the other one felt smooth.
As Fluttershy felt herself being carried she heard a charming male voice. "You know they have those safety rails on the stairs for a reason."
She instantly recognized the voice. "Discord! Don't scare me like that!"
He gently sat her down on her couch as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, but you do know that I love making an entrance. I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner. I didn't hear about what happened until last night during ogres and oubliettes. I wanted to talk to you last night but you were already asleep. So I just thought I'd take care of some of your chores for you. By the way; I brought a few get well gifts. I hear that chocolates are traditional get well gifts so I got you the 238th biggest box I found. The others couldn't fit through the door. I also got you some balloons. I realized that you wouldn't be able to see any of them so I made them talk. They're tied to the left side of your couch so all you have to do is yank on them and they'll cheer you right up. It doesn't hurt them; It's more like an automated message."
Fluttershy gave them a gentle yank and listened as they all cheered for her to get better. She gave a soft laugh. It felt good to have Discord there to cheer her up in his own chaotic way.
Discord continued with his list. "I also noticed the mess in your kitchen so I thought I would fix it up for you. Take note that the sink may shoot out lemonade, so mind the third handle. Then I fed your animals and you wouldn't believe how much they like candy, and they wouldn't believe that it was just their regular food. I know you might think; disguising normal food like sweets doesn't sound like my style, but if I can trick Celestia with that she'll never trust a slice of cake again."
If Fluttershy's eyes weren't bandaged she would have rolled them, but then she had an idea that could fix all of her problems.
She decided to pitch her idea to the only one who could make it work. "Thank you Discord. Is it alright if I ask you something?"
Discord summoned a pair of drums for his joke. "You just did." Ta bum bum.
He smiled as he tossed the drums into his pocket. "Alright, jokes aside what's on your mind?"
Fluttershy did her best not to wonder what crazy things he was doing. She was only focused on her cure. "Well, I don't know how hard it would be, but can you fix me?"
Discord donned a mechanics outfit. "What's wrong? Flat tire? Spark plugs? Empty gas tank?"
Fluttershy didn't get his joke, but she didn't think hard about it. "You know what I mean. Can you help me see again? Can you fix my eyes?"
Discord knew what she wanted, but he didn't know how to break the news. "Fluttershy, if I could help you you'd know I'd turn the world inside out just for you. I can do impossible thing like temporarily removing someone's wings and horn, making it rain chocolate milk, and so on. However there are things that are indeed impossible for me. Making someone into a true alicorn, restore missing limbs, or healing blind eyes. Now trust me when I say I can fake it. I can slap a horn on you right now, but it wouldn't fix it. If I try to let you see again it wouldn't be real, and you'd see a few crazy things. It would also destroy any chances of your eyes truly healing. I'm the lord of chaos, not a magical healer."
Fluttershy was shocked. She has seen him do the impossible, but something so small can't be fixed?
Fluttershy turned to Discords general direction with an angry look on her face. If those bandages weren't covering her eyes she might have given him the stare. "I'm not asking for something big; I just want to see again. I'm willing to take the risk."
Discord tried to calm her down. "But I'm not. You only have a few days left until we can see if your eyes can still work. I don't want to give you something fake. I want you to have the real thing."
Fluttershy instantly barked at him. "I WANT MY LIFE BACK! I want to reach into the fridge and know what I'm grabbing. I want to walk up a set of stairs without fearing for my life. I want to see your face again. You've broken reality so many times; WHY CAN'T YOU FIX ME?"
Discord was shocked. It felt like her eyes were burning through the bandages and staring into his skull. Before either of them could speak again the doorbell rang. Discord got up to answer it. He opened the door to see Rarity waiting outside.
He could tell that she didn't expect him to answer. "Oh, hello Discord. I didn't expect to see you here. Is Fluttershy here?"
Discord sighed softly. "Of course."
He led her into the living room where Fluttershy was sitting.
Rarity felt a bit of tension between them. "I hope that I didn't come at a bad time. I thought that I would treat you to breakfast and then take you to my store. Would you like to join us Discord?"
Discord didn't come up with any clever remarks. "No. I'll be taking care of the animals today. Thanks for the invite."
Rarity was rather confused that Discord wasn't trying to make any jokes, but she just guessed that seeing your friend in that state would take the joy out of anybody. Rarity and Discord helped Fluttershy into her wheelchair. Before they could walk out of the door Discord teleported in front of them.
Discord set a single rose in Fluttershy's lap. As he leaned over he whispered into Fluttershy's ear. "About our conversation earlier; I can't and I won't."
He disappeared before either of them could reply.
Rarity was confused by the whole mess. "What were you two talking about in there?"
Fluttershy remained silent. Rarity decided that she shouldn't press the issue. Rarity tried talking Fluttershy into trying to walk, but she wasn't comfortable with the idea yet. Fluttershy was still angry that Discord wouldn't help her. After a good breakfast and a stop by the hospital to change Fluttershy's bandages they reached Rarity's boutique. Rarity sat Fluttershy at a chair she set up earlier.
Rarity didn't have any customers yet so she decided to try an idea to work with Fluttershy. "Dear, would you mind modeling a few dresses for me?"
Fluttershy didn't show much enthusiasm in her voice. "Whatever."
Rarity tried explaining it to her. "Darling, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. How a dress looks is one thing; I want you to tell me how it feels. How does that sound?"
Fluttershy just shrugged. Rarity helped dress Fluttershy into several dresses. Fluttershy didn't show much emotion while this was going on. Rarity kept trying to comment on how Fluttershy looked, but Fluttershy didn't seem to care. Fluttershy felt alone in the world. She was too busy thinking about all the things she never could do again.
Rarity couldn't figure out how to cheer her up, so she decided to try something drastic. "I just remembered that I have some new fabric in the back. I'll be back in a second."
Fluttershy nodded as she sat down again. A few moments after Rarity left Fluttershy heard the door open. She heard a voice that she didn't recognize.
The voice was most likely female and was fairly gentle. "Hello?"
Fluttershy answered. "Rarity is in the back of the store. She will be back soon."
"Oh, well I'm looking for a dress for the upcoming gala. My husband got a couple of tickets from a friend who is a royal guard and I want to surprise him with a new dress. Do you think you can help me find one that my husband will love?"
Fluttershy was instantly offended that someone would make fun of her bandages. Her shy and timid voice was replaced with an irritated and angry one. "Do you really think that this is funny?"
The voice sounded confused. "I-I'm sorry? Did I say something wrong?"
Fluttershy just barely raised her voice. "Can't you tell that I'm blind?"
A calm voice replied. "No, no I can't. I'm blind too."
Fluttershy was instantly embarrassed for talking to her the way she did. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
She listened as the voice came closer. "It's alright. I always wondered what would happen if I ran into another blind pony. My name is Summer Dew."
Fluttershy was surprised as she heard Summer sit down in front of her. "I'm Fluttershy. How did you know where I was?"
Summer chuckled. "I had your voice to go off of. Forgive me for asking, but how long have you been blind? It sounds like this is something new for you."
Fluttershy felt embarrassed again. "Three days. I was in an accident. The doctor is going to take off my bandages in a few days to see if I'll be able to see again."
Summer smiled. "That's good. It means that you have a chance."
Fluttershy lowered her head. "But what if I'll never see again?"
Summer knew what Fluttershy was saying. "Like me? I've never seen anything through my eyes in my entire life. I don't know what colors are. I don't even know what I look like. Now you might pity me for my sad circumstances, but do you want to know something? I've seen more than most ponies have with perfect vision. Take it from someone who has been in the same boat longer than you."
Before Fluttershy could ask what she meant be that Rarity came in. "I'm sorry darling. Opal was being a bit testy today. Ah! Hello Summer. Did Grey get those tickets?"
Summer stood up and gave a small smile. "Yes. I'm a little excited. Tell me, are you wearing Fragrance of paradise?"
Fluttershy was shocked when Rarity admitted it. "Of course. I thought that I would have stumped you this time. It's supposed to be the newest stuff."
Summer laughed "Octavia wore it last week. Nice try."
Fluttershy was confused. "Wait! How did you know?"
"I guess practice. I've heard that people who lose a sense have their other senses strengthened, but I think anyone can do it if they slowed down a bit. Why don't you try telling me what it smells like. Just slow down and focus. Talk it out."
Fluttershy slowly made her way to where she thought Rarity was and took a deep breath. "I think it's tropical... Oh, you want to know more. Well, I think there's mango, pineapple, kiwi, and I think a hint of lime."
Rarity read off of the bottle to show that she was right. "I didn't even notice the lime."
Summer gently found Fluttershy's shoulder. "Amazing isn't it? It will only strengthen with time. I know you are scared, but you have a chance to see thing in a way no one else can. Slow down a bit. Take in the world around you."
Fluttershy didn't know how to respond to what she said. She didn't notice the perfume until she started to pay attention. Maybe there was more to what senses she still had left. As Rarity started helping Summer Fluttershy started to try walking around the room. She wished that she had paid closer attention when she entered. She ended up bumping into a clothes rack. As she felt the clothes on the rack she noticed that they felt smooth to the touch. She could only assume that they were some form of silk. She started noticing the style of layering of the dress. She felt a small piece of a different fabric. She could tell that they were supposed to go together.
Rarity noticed Fluttershy touching one of the dresses. "Darling, please be careful with that. That's for a wedding in few days."
Fluttershy instantly recognized the style. After a few minutes Rarity finished helping Summer Dew.
Before she left, Fluttershy realized that Summer came in alone. "Excuse me Summer, but how did you get here?"
"I walked here. It's not hard when you know where everything is. Take my advice for when you try making your way across town for the first time, don't try it alone."
Fluttershy listened as Summer walked out the door. The next two hours were spent modeling dresses and waiting for Rarity to finish helping customers. Summers words were still running through Fluttershy's head. How does Summer live like this? How did she get to the point that she can walk through town without seeing?
Rarity soon finished her orders. "Done, at least until after my class. Well, I think that I can spare a few minutes to grab a light lunch. Are you ready darling?"
"Oh of course. Um... Do you mind if I try walking there?" Fluttershy said as she slowly got up.
Rarity was a bit shocked. "Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?"
Fluttershy nodded. Rarity guided Fluttershy to the door slowly. Rarity did her best to make sure she didn't let her friend walk into the door frame. Fluttershy walked slowly through the street. She nearly stumbled on the edge of the sidewalk a couple of times. Fluttershy focused on her memory of where all of the buildings were. She used the sidewalk to try to get a baseline of where she was. After a short walk and a few misshapes they made their way into the diner.
Rarity was busy plucking branches from Fluttershy's hair as they took their seats. "I think we need to find a way for you to walk around without walking into bushes."
Fluttershy blushed. As they sat down outside for lunch Fluttershy heard the birds singing in the trees. She usually only listened to them in the morning and night when she was at home, or on nature walks. This was the first time in a long time she listened during the day. They sung softly as if they were mourning. The melody raised as if to encourage someone. Fluttershy couldn't tell if the song was for her or someone else.
After a few minutes she heard Twilight. "Hey Rarity, Spike managed to clear my schedule so I can take over now."
Rarity got up from her seat. "Thank you Twilight. I hope you two have fun."
As Rarity left Twilight turned her attention to Fluttershy. "So, how are you feeling?"
"I don't know yet."
"Well, you must be feeling better if you are walking around."
Fluttershy pulled one more twig out of her hair that was scratching her head. "And into bushes. At least the birds have a new nest."
They both giggled at the joke. Twilight decided to take Fluttershy to her castle.
Twilight started organizing books in the lounge. "I hope you don't mind if I go through some of my photo albums. I got some more photos from my brother."
Fluttershy lowered her head a bit. "Oh, okay."
Twilight started going through the books. "I figured since you had fun with listening to Pinkie pie's play you would enjoy listening to some of my family stories. Applejack does the same thing and it calms me down."
Fluttershy gave a silent nod. Twilight started talking about some of Shining Armor's more embarrassing stories. Fluttershy didn't have much to do so she listened to her.
After a few hours the rest of the main six walked into the lounge.
Rarity turned to her friends. "I think Fluttershy had a rough morning, but she's doing better now."
Dash grinned. "You see guys! Nothing can keep her down."
Applejack looked towards Dash. "I don't know. Big Mac told me that Discord canceled the next guys night."
Spike gave a small gasp. "He never cancels game night, and we were in a tavern. We always have fun in the tavern!"
Rarity reflected on what she saw that morning. "Maybe Discord and Fluttershy had a argument?"
Dash laughed. "Are you joking? Don't you remember everything that he does for her? They never fight."
Rarity shook her head. "Maybe, but they both looked upset this morning. With everything that's going on it could be possible."
As they walked into the lounge they saw Fluttershy giggling as Twilight finishing her story. "So Shining breaks down the door with ten guards behind him only to see Cadence holding Flurry, and do you know what she says? "We are out of milk, can you get some from the kitchen?" All of the guards were joking about it all week. They even kept bottles on hoof just so they could joke around with him."
Fluttershy let out another fit of giggles before noticing the others. "Oh! Hey girls. We were just talking. Come join us!"
Applejack was content seeing her happy. "I'd love to sugar, but I have chores that need to be done before Luna gets to work. I'll see you tomorrow."
Rainbow Dash stretched her wings. "Yeah, I did have a rough day at Wonderbolts practice. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. I'm so sorry you had to listen to Twilight's stories all day"
Fluttershy chuckled. "They are actually pretty good if you listen to them."
Pinkie Pie gave Fluttershy a hug before she left. Twilight decided to take Fluttershy home early.
Fluttershy started to get comfortable walking home. She enjoyed the help the Twilight gave her adjusting. When they walked into her cottage Fluttershy didn't hear Discord inside.
Twilight helped Fluttershy to her couch. "Alright. You rest here while I feed the animals."
"Oh! You don't need to do that."
"It's alright, I don't want you to hurt yourself."
As Fluttershy placed a hoof on the arm of the couch she felt the strings attached to it. As she pulled the string she remembered her fight with Discord.
Twilight walked back in with several containers in her hooves. "Hey Fluttershy, I think Discord messed with some of your stuff. For starters the sink pours lemonade, and I think he did something with your food."
Fluttershy felt Twilight trying to hand her her groceries. Fluttershy started to feel what seems like a carton until she felt some weird bumps on it. After running her hooves over it several times she started to make sense of what the shapes on the carton were. They seemed to form the words 'milk'. Fluttershy started to feel the other containers that Twilight gave her. She felt words engraved on them too, like 'carrots', 'hay', and 'jam'.
Twilight handed her a card. "I found this taped of the fridge, It doesn't have anything on it though."
Fluttershy ran her hoof over it carefully.
As she failed to feel anything on it she heard what seemed like a whisper from Discord. "I still care about you."
Twilight looked confused as Fluttershy looked like she was seconds away from crying. "What is it?"
Fluttershy slowly rapped the card in a hug. "I'm so sorry."
Twilight couldn't get a straight answer from her that night.
Fluttershy was up for hours that night. She thought about what she said to Discord, what Summer said to her, and what she was learning. She started thinking that maybe it's not loosing her eyes that will define her, but how she learns from it.